Beautiful
by Wizards-Pupil
Summary: The first time George Weasley really saw Hermione Granger as more than a boorish bookworm was in his seventh year. She let out a laugh and he knew that this was without doubt the most beautiful girl in the world. Dedicated to Amy.


_A/N: This story is in celebration of the fact that I've posted over a million words on . I'm dedicating it to my friend, Amy, who has helped me more than she probably knows, and is currently betaing a story I'll post soon. Thanks for always having something positive to say and making me laugh with your reviews. Also, thanks for inspiring me to start on Snipe! I'd wrap George up for you if I could, but I can't, so I'll just have to write him for you. _

Disclaimer: I don't own anything but the idea. The characters are Rolwings and the song is Bruno Mars.

* * *

><p>-o-o-o-<p>

_Oh her eyes, her eyes  
>Make the stars look like they're not shining<br>Her hair, her hair  
>Falls perfectly without her trying<em>

_-o-o-o-_

The first time George Weasley really saw Hermione Granger as more than a boorish bookworm was in his seventh year. She was sitting with his younger brother, trying to help him understand some obscure magical history reference that simply was not clicking with his brain.

"Honestly, Ronald. It's not that hard. Brutus the Brash didn't start the Goblin registration. It was Bartis the Bold." Her voice was annoyed and held a warning note in it that his dense younger brother ignored.

"Oh yes, Hermione, because that's just obvious. Brutus and Bartis, not at all close, are they Harry?" Ron asked, rolling his eyes at Hermione and turning to his best mate. Harry, who had been dozing by the fire awoke with a start, looking around in confusion before his eyes settled on Ron.

"What?" George stifled a chuckle from the chair he was sitting on across the room. He was supposed to be figuring out a way to stop the whizbangs from emitting the strange gun powder scent they spewed everywhere, but he was finding this exchange far more interesting. Judging by the fire lighting Hermione's eyes, she was about to let his little brother have it.

"Are Bartis and Brutus close?"

"I'd rather not say." Harry replied, open his book and pretending to read it. Clearly he didn't want to get into the fight between his two best mates.

"Fine, Ronald. You can figure out the differences by yourself!" Hermione exclaimed, standing from the sofa and tossing her book bag over her shoulder. She crossed the room to the sofa's at the other end, near where George was working, and sat down. She set the book bag beside her and brought her legs up next to her,

She had really long, shapely legs. George had never noticed before. He shook the thoughts away and returned to his papers. He read for a few minutes before glancing up at the clock. It was behind Hermione, and as his eyes lifted up to it, they took a quick detour to look at her. She had her head bent over her papers and her hair, the bushy, crazy curls that she had always been teased about, were falling around her shoulders in a brown haze.

An ache filled his fingers that he hadn't expected, he had the urge to touch the curls, to twirl them around his finger and let his hands get lost in the soft locks…

He shook that thought off as well and glanced up at the clock. It was past eleven, he needed to finish these calculations. He let his eyes drop back down to his paper, but once again he was distracted on the way.

She looked up from her book and for an instant their eyes locked. Hers dark and intelligent, his light and mischievous. He'd never noticed just how brown her eyes were before, or just how shapely they were.

"George?" Fred called from behind him, breaking the link the two had unconsciously developed and drawing George's gaze away from the book worm.

"Yeah?" He asked, craning his neck to look over the chair.

"Lee needs our help with a potion." He said, appearing behind George with a mischievous grin. George nodded his head and stuffed his papers and book inside his bag before standing. Fred started across the room and George followed him, pausing right before he left and glancing back at Hermione. She was watching him with a small, nervous smile, and her cheeks promptly turned a bright red as he winked at her. Grinning at her blush he stepped through the portrait hole, all thoughts of Whizbangs completely forgotten.

-o-o-o-

_She's so beautiful_  
><em>And I tell her every day<br>__Yeah I know, I know  
>When I compliment her<br>She won't believe me  
>And its so, it's so<br>Sad to think she don't see what I see  
><em>

_-o-o-o-_

Nothing really changed after that fateful meeting, well, nothing visible. Hermione blushed more easily around George, and he found himself paying her a bit more attention.

Yes, things remained fairly normal until April. George and Fred had finally had enough. The DA had been exposed, Dumbledore run off, and Umbridge made head mistress. They were all quite clearly in Hell, and the twins wanted out.

They were not staying any longer, and they were going to make sure that all the order that Umbridge so clung to was ruined. Yes, the twins were going to unleash the full power of their devilishly brilliant minds.

So, George once again found himself sitting in the Gryiffindor common room working on calculations, only this time, he was working on timing. They had to set the swamp off perfectly along with the whizabangs if they wanted this to work. Harry needed them to have it work as well, and they' weren't going to let him down.

He sat up straighter and rolled his head, trying to loosen the tension that had built up in his neck. The stress was starting to get to him. He was excited about opening the shop, and he wasn't even slightly hesitant about it. He knew they were doing the right thing there. He didn't want to leave the others though.

He sat back against the couch and let out a sigh. He missed Fred. Fred was out with Angelina, probably having a farewell snog. He snorted at the thought, a simple snog indeed.

His eyes shot to a darker corner of the room where Hermione was sitting by herself, having left Ron and Harry in an angry huff earlier when she learned of his plan. He wasn't sure why he was watching her now, it certainly had nothing to do with his thoughts on Fred and Angelina. Just the same, he couldn't deny that he thought her pretty.

Actually, he told himself, he could, and really should.

Why?

Before he quite realized what he was doing he was standing up and crossing the room to the bookworm. He dropped his bag next to hers and sat down on the table in front of her. She looked up in surprise, her eyes turning slightly suspicious as a tale-tell blush lit her cheeks.

"George?" She questioned quietly, slightly warily.

"Can I talk to you?"

"What are you doing?"

He rolled his eyes at her comment before glancing behind himself. No one had noticed them yet. "I meant in a more private location, love." She studied him for a moment before giving her head a small nod.

"Yes." He gave her a big grin and stood, leaving his bag by hers, and snatching up her hand before she could grab her own. He drug her out the portrait hole and down the corridor to a giant tapestry. He dropped her hand and pulled it back, not noticing the bright blush lighting her cheeks. He waved her inside and she stepped into the dimly lit niche. George had underestimated the amount of space in the hidden space, and when he turned to join her in it, he found himself pressing into her.

She had grown quite a bit, and he found his body jumping in excitement at the feel of her soft curves pressing against his hard planes. He swallowed thickly, finding his voice nonresponsive suddenly.

"George?" She questioned again, blushing. Her nervousness helped to calm him down oddly enough. He took a breath and then proceeded to tell her about their plan to leave tomorrow, and how he was opening the shop and that he was scared to leave them all alone with Umbridge, but that he just couldn't stay anymore.

She didn't interrupt, but her face grew extremely sad as he spoke. "I suspected as much." She said quietly once he finally finished. "I can't say that I blame you, and I won't tell you not to go. I will miss you though. you've been incredible this last month. I wish I had the nerve to pull half the stuff you have."

George's mouth dropped open in surprise and his heart swelled with affection for her. She admired him, she didn't mind his pranks. She actually wished she had done some of them! He had the urge to kiss her, and that shocked him. He pushed it away and responded with a simple smile instead.

"I'm going to miss you too, Hermione."

-o-o-o-

_Her lips, her lips  
>I could kiss them all day if she'd let me<br>Her laugh, her laugh  
>She hates but I think it's so sexy<br>She's so beautiful  
>And I tell her every day<em>  
>-o-o-o-<p>

It was two and a half months before he got to see her again. He was waiting at the train station with the rest of the Order. They had arrived early with the intention of telling the Dursley's off, and making sure that Harry didn't go into as much of a depression as he had last summer.

He was more excited about seeing Hermione than Harry though. He had written her a few times since his disappearance, and she had responded, but it wasn't as much fun as talking to her and seeing her. He was a little worried about what their reunion would be like, but he was mostly excited.

The train _finally_ rolled in and George visibly perked up.

"Eager to see someone?" Fred asked, popping up beside his twin. George didn't even have to look at him to know he was smiling.

"Maybe." He replied evasively, his eyes locked on the train doors.

"Oh, just admit it Brother of Mine. You're excited about seeing little Hermione."

George's neck heated up slightly but he kept his gaze forward. "Perhaps."

Fred didn't make a response, he simply rolled his eyes in the manner of one long suffering. The doors slid open and student began to pour out. The twins stepped forward right as the trio stepped off.

They waved them over, and George was thrilled to see Hermione's face light up a noticeable bit. The group made their way over to them and the rest of the Order. Harry and Ron reached them first, but Hermione brought up the raer, taking a bit longer. She was fussing with her outfit nervously, her eyes unsure. George gave her a big grin and stepped over to her.

He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her to his chest in a tight hug, once again marveling at how nice she felt in his arms.

"Hi, George." She said shyly when he stepped back. He smiled at her, not caring that a few of the Order members were watching them with upraised eyebrows.

"You're coming to visit our shop this summer, right?" He asked cheerfully as they started back towards the others. She studied him for a moment, seeming unsure how to respond. "You did promise after all, and I'd really like you to see it." He added, oddly aware of how fast his heart was beating now.

"Yeah, I'll go see it. I'm going to be at the Burrow anyway. It sounds like it'll be fun."

He smiled back at her, keeping their pace slow so that they didn't immediately reach the others. "Thanks for writing to me. I really enjoyed the updates, and it was fun hearing from you." She smiled at that, a full smile that showed off her perfect teeth. He decided he rather liked her smile, and that he was going to work harder to get it out of her.

"I liked writing to you too. It was encouraging, knowing that someone was out there working hard to make sure that as much chaos as possible was going on inside Hogwarts. It was nice knowing we had allies." She glanced at the rest of the Order members, her smile slipping some. "It's easy to forget sometimes."

"You'll always have an ally in me, Hermione." George said simply. He could tell by the look in her dark eyes that she believed him, and he was glad to see her smile return.

"Yes, I'd have to say you do, Dursley." Moody was saying, giving Harry's uncle a critical gaze. He turned towards Harry and smiled, which looked oddly out of place on his face.

"So, Potter . . . give us a shout if you need us. If we don't hear from you for three days in a row, we'll send someone to get you." The Dursley's looked terrified by the thought of one of the Order members coming for them and it almost made George laugh. "Bye, then, Potter," Moody finished, grasping Harry's shoulder for a moment with a gnarled hand.

"Take care, Harry," Remus said quietly. "Keep in touch."

"Harry, we'll have you away from there as soon as we can," Mrs. Weasley whispered, hugging him again. Hermione moved by George's side, stepping up to Harry and giving him a tight hug, whispering something in his ear. George felt a pang of jealousy in his chest as she held onto Harry, and he didn't like it. He pushed the thought away insistently. He had nothing to be jealous about. One, Hermione wasn't interested in Harry. Two, he had no reason to care if she was or wasn't.

The thought didn't really convince him and he still felt annoyed at Harry.

"We'll see you soon, mate," Ron said, shaking Harry's hand as Hermione moved back towards George.

Harry departed with the Dursley's, and the rest of the Order members wandered off.

"Come on mate, we've got to get back to the shop." Fred said cheerfully as he stepped towards his twin. George started, feeling himself flush. He had been watching Hermione talk to her parents.

"Were you watching Hermy?" Fred asked, grinning evily.

"No, and it's Hermione, not Hermy. She hates that name."

"How would you know?" Fred asked in surprise.

"Because I've talked with her." He watched her across the train station. She turned from her parents, a small smile lifting her lips as she waved at him. A small swell of courage filled him and he stepped forward, waving at her before yelling in a booming voice to her.

"Hermione! Write to me!" She nodded her head, smiling shyly as a blush that he could see from across the station lit her cheeks. He smiled goofily and turned back towards Fred to see his twin grinning at him with an upraised eyebrow.

"Oh shut it." He muttered.

-o-o-o-  
><em>Oh you know, you know, you know<br>I'd never ask you to change  
>If perfect is what you're searching for<br>Then just stay the same_  
>-o-o-o-<p>

"This is really brilliant magic." Hermione said to Harry, and George could hear the smile in her voice. The compliment made him grin as well, he couldn't believe Hermione had just called an item he'd help invent 'Brilliant.' He really couldn't imagine a better compliment.

"Coming from you that is an extremely high compliment." George said, stepping up behind her. Her eyes widened in surprise and she spun around and faced him. Her face erupted in a smile and she stepped up to him, giving him a hug. He got over his surprise at the unexpected contact quickly and squeezed her back, still grinning when she pulled back.

"The robes are smashing, very funny." She said, looking at the bright magenta robes George was wearing. "Only the two of you could pull off something that clashed so terribly with your hair."

"Thanks," he said, grinning like a nutter until he saw that she had a black eye. "Blimey!" he exclaimed, not hiding the alarm and anger he felt. Whoever dared hit Hermione was about to get hexed. "What did you do to your eye?"

She snorted and put her hands on her hip, trying and failing to look fierce. She couldn't stop smiling. "I did nothing. Your telescope punched me," George's eyes widened in horror as he realized what she was talking about. He fumbled in his robe pockets looking for the ointment he was always having to use. "Merlin's beard -I was supposed to get rid of those." He handed her a jar of a thick yellow paste. "Here, use this."

She opened it up suspiciously, giving it a cautious sniff before looking up at him. "What'll it do to me?" She questioned.

He smiled disarmingly, feeling better and oddly happy that she was even here. "It'll get rid of that bruise in less than an hour,"

"Brilliant." She exclaimed, opening the ointment and putting it around her eye. She winced as she touched it and George moved forward, grabbing the ointment from her hand.

"Let me," He said softly, keenly aware of the hand he had touching hers. She looked at him with her wide, dark eyes and gave her head the slightest nod. He dipped his index finger into the thick goo and gently applied it to her eye, his touch feather light.

He pulled his hand back after a moment and he let out a breath he hadn't realized he was holding.

"Th-thanks." She managed after a moment, her eyes locked on his. He couldn't get over how dark her eyes were, or how pretty they were with her crazy curly hair. Hair he would still love to touch…

"Hermione!" Harry called her from across the store and broke the spell that had fallen over the two. Hermione blushed a bright red and turned towards her best mate.

"Yeah?" She called, glancing at George and blushing more brightly.

"I need to talk to you." She nodded her head before turning back to George.

"I-I'll talk to you later?"

"I hope." He said, and then she was gone.

Bugger Harry.

-o-o-o-

_So don't even bother asking  
>If you look okay<br>You know I say_  
>-o-o-o-<p>

She was going to be here any minute, and George was not going to miss her. She'd written him a letter, telling him what it was she planned on doing to her parents, and he couldn't let her spend a single minute more alone than she had to. She'd need someone to comfort her, and George was determined to be the one to offer it to her.

He was the first to see her, and he didn't waist a second running out of the Burrow to get to her. Her normally lively and bushy hair was hanging limply around her shoulders, her shoulders were slumped, she was dragging her feet, and her beautiful dark eyes were full of tears that streaked down her cheeks.

He grabbed her up, pulling her into his strong arms and she went to him, burying her head in his chest and shaking with the force of his tears. A terrible feeling of guilt, anger, and annoyance at the unfairness of everything rose up in him as he stroked her hair and tried to bring her some comfort. It wasn't fair, any of it. She shouldn't have to go through this, they shouldn't be fighting this war. It wasn't fair.

He felt helpless as well as she shook in his arms. He hated that there was literally nothing he could do but hold her. He couldn't make it better, he could only let her know that she wasn't alone.

"It was so much harder than I thought it'd be." She finally said, her voice broken. He tightened his grip on her and bent his head down next to her ear. He didn't know much, but he knew he wanted to comfort her.

"You are an incredible witch, Hermione. I have never admired someone so much. I never could have done it, I couldn't have finished the task. You did the right thing, they'll be safe because of you."

She sniffed, a broken, wet sound and pulled back slightly, searching his eyes with hers. "Thank you." She finally managed, and she moved out of his hold. She brushed his shirt with light fingers, looking apologetic. "I'm sorry I soaked your shirt." And with those words George knew they were going to be alright.

A few weeks later and he was unsure about that. He went through the motions of heading to Harry in an unseeing daze, barely aware of everything that was going on. He was terrified, more so than he had ever been before. Almost everyone he loved and cared about was risking their lives, and they could all very realistically die this night.

Fred never left his side, lending him quiet strength and letting him know that he wasn't alone. Ron and Bill were unflinching in their decisions, and his father was the model of courage. Hermione was quiet, her resolve obvious in her posture, her unease clear in her eyes. It was that obvious fear that drew him to her, and he didn't resist the potent urge.

They were about to board their brooms and thestrals, and they were about to see if their mad plan would work. He approached her slowly, painfully aware of the fact that she might not know who he was, and that this might be their last meeting. He wanted to admit to her that she was on his mind more often than she should be, that he loved her laugh and the sparkle her eyes got when she was happy.

"Hermione?" he asked quietly, coming up to her from behind. She turned towards him, smiling a little.

"George?" He couldn't help the smile that came. She could tell who he was even in Harry's form.

He opened his mouth to tell her that he liked her, that he knew it was crazy but he couldn't help the attraction, but all that came back were a few feebly whispered words. "Be safe, Hermione." She nodded her head, glancing at Kingsley before turning towards him.

"Stay safe too, George." She wrapped her arms around him in a quick hug, and then she was gone, leaving him alone with Lupin.

The flight was a blur that ended in a terrible haze of pain as he lost his ear. He could feel Fred's fear, and he was vaguely aware of Lupin carrying him through the Burrow, but there was too much pain to really focus on anything.

He felt the cool touch of his mothers hand and he began to feel a slight relief from the pain, only to have his heart crushed when he heard her say there was no hope for his ear.

He faded to black until he heard his twin, his other half, and felt him take his hand.

"Georgie? How do you feel?"He whispered, his voice unrecognizable. George took a deep breath and pushed all the pain away, focusing only on his twin he managed to respond.

He brought his hand up to the side of his head, feeling the area where his ear should have been. Nothing was there. He ignored the shock and tilted his head towards him. He'd never seen his twin so pale, it looked like he was the one who'd been hit.

"Saintlike," he finally murmured

"What's wrong with him?" Fred croaked, looking at their mum. "Is his mind affected?"

"Saintlike," George repeated, grinning now. It was going to be okay, if he could get Fred to grin he would be okay."You see. . . I'm holy. Holey, Fred, geddit?"

A choking noise drew his attention away, and for a moment he broke eye contact with Fred to see who it was. Hermione was standing behind his twin, tears streaming down her face. She had returned to her normal form, and he didn't think he'd ever seen her look so beautiful. She was covered in grime, her curls were plastered against her sweat soaked face, and she had a deep bruise on her right cheek, but she looked like an ethereal goddess to him.

"Pathetic," Fred said, drawing his attention back. He was smiling, and George knew they were going to be okay. "Pathetic! With the whole wide world of ear-related humor before you, you go for holey?"

"Ah well," He said, grinning again as he glanced at Hermione. "You'll be able to tell us apart now, anyway, Mum."

-o-o-o-  
><em>When I see your face<br>There's not a thing that I would change  
>Cause you're amazing<br>Just the way you are  
>And when you smile,<br>The whole world stops and stares for awhile  
>Cause girl you're amazing<br>Just the way you are_

-o-o-o-

She'd disappeared during the wedding, right when he'd finally worked up enough courage to ask her for a dance, the Lynx had come and they'd disappeared. The war had started and he wasn't sure he'd ever see her again.

He went through potterwatch, and he couldn't stop worrying about her. Every scrap of news they found out was a blessing and a curse for him. A blessing in that he knew they were alive, and a curse that he knew they weren't safe.

Then his galleon grew warm. Fred, Lee, Ginny, and him immediately left Aunt Muriels and went to Hogwarts as swiftly as they could. They went through the new secret passage way and he could hear cheering from the other side.

Ginny climbed out first, but George and Fred were on her tails. They'd been so close in the passage way that they could barely fit each other.

They jumped to the floor and could barely see anyone as friends he hadn't seen in over a year swarmed towards them.

Fred nodded in greeting to the students,and flashed a cheeky smile at Neville. "Aberforth's getting a bit annoyed. He wants a kip, and his bar's turned into a railway station."

The others laughed, and George finally saw her. She was at the other end of the room, surrounded by people, but her eyes were on him. He couldn't hide the huge grin that lifted his lips, and he couldn't explain the happiness that filled him.

He wanted to cross the room and hug her, but there were too many people between them. He gave himself a mental shake and turned towards Harry, dusting off his robes as he twirled his wand. "So what's the plan, Harry?"

"There isn't one." Harry replied, his brow furrowed in pain.

Fred, used to Harry's scar issues said, "Just going to make it up as we go along, are we? My favorite kind."

Ron moved, and in doing so, the people surrounding him and Hermione split apart. George took the moment and stepped forward, in casing his brother in a tight hug before he moved to Hermione. She still felt incredibly warm and soft in his arms, and he realized for the first time that she fit him perfectly.

His heart was pounding nervously in his chest and he couldn't make himself let go of her when the hug passed the length of friendly reuinion.

"Hermione," he started, his voice only loud enough for her to hear, "I need to ask you something-" but he was cut off before he could finish his question.

"There's something we need to find!" Harry said loudly, and Hermione stepped towards him, giving George a long look.

"In a minute." She mouthed to him, and he nodded his head, the courage he'd barely managed to gather dissipating.

Again, events started occurring in a blur, and he lost track of Hermione, Ron, and even Fred.

He was defending the passageway to Hogsmeade, along with Lee, Hannah and Cho. He heard someone running behind him and he saw her.

A surge of hope, fear, worry, and longing filled him. Before he knew what he was doing he left his post and ran after her, calling her name out at the top of his lungs. She skidded to a stop, Ron racing past her, and turned towards him. Her eyes widened in surprise when she saw it was him and she ran towards him as he neared her.

He grabbed her in his arms, knowing that was where he always wanted her to stay, and he found the courage he'd lost earlier.

"Hermione," He said quickly, his voice holding a desparte urgency he couldn't hide. "I have to ask you something before I lose you again."

"What?" She asked breathlessly. He pulled back and locked eyes with her, deciding that there was no prettier sight in the world than her.

"Will you go out with me?" he said in one hastily asked sentence.

"What?" She questioned, her eyes wide and shocked.

"If we make it out of this fight, will you go out with me?" He asked again, slower this time. Her eyes widened even more before a silly, sweet smile lifted her lips.

"Yes, I will." He beamed at her, and in that second, as he leaned down and finally kissed the lips that had filled more of his dreams than anything else, he forgot about the battle. He forgot about the impending doom, the war, the fact that they could all die any second. He only thought about the witch in his arms, and the fact that he was crazy about her.

-o-o-o-

_Just the way you are_

-o-o-o-

He dragged his feet along. It had been an impossibly long and draining day. Fred had nearly been crushed, and he'd thought Harry was dead, only for him to come back alive and kill Voldemort.

He wanted to sleep, he just wanted to drop and never move again, but he couldn't until he found her and made sure she was all right.

He entered the great hall and glanced around, his eyes scanning for the familiar bushy hair that he so loved, but he couldn't find her. His heart started to beat erratically in his chest as he began to look a little more urgently. He was about to panic when he heard a cried out word from the most melodic voice in the word.

"George!" He spun on the spot only to catch Hermione in his arms as she flung herself at him. She was crying and laughing, and he was too, not caring that others were watching.

"You're alright!" She gasped out as he lifted her up and squeezed her.

"You too!" He managed, his voice choked.

"I was so worried." She wept, pulling back to look at him. He pulled her close again and pressed a kiss to her lips, deepening it when she responded enthusiastically. They were so overwhelmed that they forgot about the fact they were in public, and within a few moments Hermione had wrapped her legs around his waist as he held her up. A wolf whistle sounded from somewhere, and it jerked them back to the present reality.

They broke apart, both blushing brightly. Hermione nudged him to put her down, and he complied after a moment, his eyes locked on hers.

"About that date..." He said after a moment, bringing his hand up to her hair and brushing a lock of the bushy mane he had so wanted to touch behind her ear. She looked at him with wide eyes, her face radiating happiness.

"Yeah?" She asked, her voice breathy.

"Is it too soon to get started on it?" She let out a laugh and he knew that this was without doubt the most beautiful girl in the world.

And he was never going to let her go.


End file.
